


somewhere along the way

by sangi



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-28
Updated: 2007-07-28
Packaged: 2018-03-13 15:23:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3386684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sangi/pseuds/sangi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he sits on the throne, the seat is cold.</p>
            </blockquote>





	somewhere along the way

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted in 2007, posted again here for archival reasons.

 

* * *

 

The throne room is large and spacious and just overall too big for him. As a child, he had wondered what exactly the throne would be like when sat on it – would it be comfortable, would it make him feel more a man, would he finally be the ruler that his birth entitled him to. So when the war was over, you can understand his nervous excitement to sit on the thing he had wanted to sit on, just even touch, since he had known of his responsibility.

 

But when he sits on the throne, the seat is cold.

 

* * *

 

After a hard day of work, Zuko is sitting in the council room, on a low red cushion with intricate embroidering along the edges. Katara is watching, he knows this, but he does nothing. It’s a habit of hers that she has picked up since she realized that he overworked himself to the point of complete exhaustion. She made time to make sure that, at the end of the day, he went and ate a filling meal and went to sleep instead of going over taxes and finding ways to fix the mess his ancestors made.

 

And so she watches from the shadows as he sips his tea.

 

* * *

 

 

Aang is still in the Fire Nation, showing himself to the public as the one and only Avatar, when he sees a strange interaction. During dinner, he sits opposite from Katara and two seats away from the head of the table, where Zuko sits. Halfway through the meal he sees the Fire Lord put down his fork and start to push his plate away, but Katara (lovely Katara, with her fine red robes and undone hair) sends him a look and he hesitantly puts more food in his mouth.

 

He knows that Zuko and Katara have a strange friendship, but he’s almost jealous because he can never understand the bond they possess.

 

* * *

 

 

Sokka is very overprotective of his sister. It’s a big brother thing. Katara knows, and so she goes out of her way never to hang around with men when he is near. Once, on a walk with Suki through the gardens, he sees his sister and Zuko leave a garden, bowing to each other as a goodbye. They can’t see him or Suki, but he can see the man’s emotionless face and Katara’s small smile. His girlfriend lays a hand on his arm and sends him a look – _let it be_ – and so he lets them walk away.

 

Later, he catches Katara’s arm. She looks at him, curious. “What were you doing with Zuko earlier, in the gardens?” He demands. Her brows furrow and she honestly looks confused as she answers his question. “Nothing.”

 

* * *

 

 

Toph daily walks through the halls of the palace when Aang is gone because she has nothing better to do. She likes to feel the vibrations of people walking by underneath her feet; it somehow makes her feel grounded to the earth. Today, though, Aang is here and they are taking their daily walk together. She concentrates for a moment, and she can feel the soft vibrations of two people intertwined in one of the many rooms in the palace. They feel familiar… _oh_. Her eyebrows unintentionally raise and she smiles lightly, trying not to laugh.

 

“What?” Aang prods at her, but she shakes her head and doesn’t reply.

 

* * *

 

 

Ty Lee has always thought Sokka was cute, but when she came back to the Fire Nation capital she quickly realized what she had been missing out on. In shorter words, she didn’t go back to the circus and stayed to flirt and steal young men’s hearts. It’s on one particular date when she sees Katara and a regular Zuko, dressed in ordinary clothing, out in the city. Ty Lee stops, and the boy next to her looks at her, confused. He then sees her gaze and grins lopsidedly. “What a cute couple,” he comments.

 

Shocked, Ty Lee turns around to look up at her date. Then she smiles.

 

* * *

 

 

Mai had long ago gotten over her crush on Zuko, but it hurt a bit when she heard from Ty Lee that she had seen Zuko and Katara out on the town. This was an unlikely couple, however, and she told Ty Lee she wouldn’t believe it until she saw it. Ty Lee raises her eyebrows and pulls Mai through the palace, through the never-ending halls, and when the acrobat stops, Mai runs into her shorter friends back. “What?” she asks Ty Lee. Ty Lee giggles and points through the open window in one of the rooms near them. Mai walks over - and she is surprised by what she sees.

 

Outside, in the garden, Zuko and Katara are feeding the turtle ducks. The weapons mistress’s friend laughs loudly, almost too loudly, but then she puts a hand on Mai’s shoulder to see better. “Believe it now?”

 

* * *

 

 

It’s a pretty day outside, and the turtle ducks are hungry. No matter how many times the two go out to feed them, they always come back, wanting more. Katara squeals as one bites her finger in the rush to get to the bread held in her hand. Zuko looks over and relaxes when he realizes it’s just the ducks nibbling again. Katara stops suddenly and tilts her head to the side. “Zuko, do you hear that?” In the room, Mai slaps a hand over Ty Lee’s giggling mouth.

 

Zuko also tilts his head to the side, and then looks around the otherwise empty garden. “No.”

 

* * *

 

 

Iroh has almost always thought of Zuko as his son. He has noticed the light touches here and there, the smile that Katara always reserves for him. He also has seen that sometimes she lingers to make sure Zuko eats correctly, and Iroh smiles at this point in the dinner regime and excuses himself. Katara always blinks her eyes and wishes him goodnight, and Zuko mutters something underneath his breath, the words always seeming to disappear in the steam rising from his tea.

 

But tonight, Iroh stays behind a moment longer, whispering in Zuko’s ear: “I do want grandchildren, you know.” Zuko chokes on his tea.

 

* * *

 

 

Suki doesn’t really understand what Katara sees in Zuko. Sure, he’s handsome and all, but more in a tragic-past-I-will-be-Fire-Lord kind of way. But she is happy for Katara – very happy. Suki does understand, however, that Sokka is very protective of his little sister. So she makes sure to keep him away from the couple. Suki is curious, one day, when Katara walks up to her matter-of-factly and says, “You don’t need to worry about Sokka seeing us anymore.” And then she left. That night at dinner, however, her unasked question is answered.

 

The dinner starts out fine, but soon Sokka sees something. “Katara, why are you wearing a ring on your ring finger?”

 

“Well, that is what that finger is for,” she answers coolly, setting her drink back down on the table.

 

Aang doesn’t realize the gravity of the situation. “Hey, Sokka!” He exclaims, pointing to the Fire Lord, “He has one too!” Toph shakes her head sadly while everyone stops moving at the dinner table and turn to face Sokka. His mouth is open and his head is circling between Katara and Zuko. Suki pats his shoulder consolingly. Ty Lee giggles and her and Katara go on and on about the arrangements and such, while Mai has the decency to look a bit happy for the girl.

 

Finally, Sokka can talk. “When did this happen?” he asks his girlfriend, still slightly dazed.

 

Suki sighed as she rested her head on her boyfriend’s shoulder, intertwining his hand with hers. “Somewhere along the way.”

 


End file.
